Koninklijke Euroma (Euroma) has officially taken over all the shares of Dutch branch competitor, Intertaste, after approval by the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM), international herbs and spices producer. With the takeover, Euroma will achieve a top ranking in the European market and a first place in the Dutch herbs and spices market.
The two companies with a combined workforce of around 500 employees turn over some €220 million. Euroma’s priority in 2018 is the merging of the companies’ expertise in areas relating to the development and production of herb and spice based flavorings such as herb mixtures, sauces, dressings, soups and texturing products. Euroma and Intertaste share important commonalities, including their Dutch roots and international orientation, a high-end customer base and a strong focus on customer support and service.
Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Hanneke Broekhuizen, the Commercial Director at Euroma said: “We think that together we can really claim this leading position in this field, if you look at both companies we do think that there is very interesting capabilities to strengthen each other, of course both companies are very much customers focused and orientated, the major part of our capabilities is really just tailor made NPD in the food industry and many of the top players in the European food industry belong to our players, so we think that together we can deliver a better performance to them, part because we do have very good blending facilities at our current locations, and liquid processing capabilities too.”
“If we combine all these capabilities, and building a new facility that is due to open in 2019, we can make an excellent combination together.”
Broekhuizen says the primary focus will remain in Europe. “The demand for herbs and spices has been on the rise, which is primarily driven by the demand for clean label solutions, and the opportunities to mask salt reduction in recipes, we do have natural alternatives, that develop great taste with less and salt and even less sugar.”
“The trend for adventurous and international flavors has been around since the beginning of the 90s and it has further developed over the past decade. It means the consumers want the real thing which usually means a higher dosage of herbs and spices and natural ingredients,” she notes.
Innovative developer of taste
The strategic takeover places Euroma in an outstanding position to consolidate its status as a leading and innovative tastemaker. Robert Hoogstra, CEO of Euroma, points to opportunities which the current food trends hold in store. “Consumers are more aware and discerning of food and health aspects. Euroma has extensive and in-depth knowledge of herbs and spices and capability to develop tasty, innovative products for instance which contain less sugar, less salt or other additives. It’s that knowledge base that underpins our innovative ability to translate food trends into concepts and it’s why our customers appreciate us as a partner in all areas of flavoring and packaging,” he explains.
Sustainable production
Euroma’s headquarters are still in Wapenveld, but a move to Zwolle in 2019 is scheduled, following the completion of a state-of-the-art factory and innovation center. The new facility is on track to become Europe’s most advanced and sustainable processing plant with capabilities in steam treatment, grinding, blending and packaging of herbs & spice products.
By Elizabeth Green
Source: Food Ingredients First
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